YA books

Review: Wildcard (Warcross #2) by Marie Lu

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Wildcard (Warcross #2)Wildcard by Marie Lu
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

Wildcard is the concluding book in Marie Lu’s Warcross duology. For some unexplainable reason, I preordered this book for it’s 2018-release and then never read it.

Even with Warcross being my favorite YA-book of 2017, I didn’t read it’s sequel. Honestly, what’s wrong with me?

Recently, I reread Warcross in order to finally be able to finish off this duology, and of course neither book disappointed. Lu is incredibly talented at her world-building, thought-provoking concepts and engaging character work.

This was devastating though, NGL. It gets pretty heavy towards the end as the truth is revealed, but also offers up a lot of food for thought regarding terrifying future tech.

Even though it’s close to a decade old, I feel like this duology definitely holds up. I would absolutely still recommend it to anyone looking for a fast-paced and thrilling YA-SciFi story. Particularly if you love gaming elements in your stories.

As for me, I’ll certainly be picking up more from Marie Lu!

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Re-Reading Warcross by Marie Lu

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Warcross (Warcross, #1)Warcross by Marie Lu
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Upon reread, Warcross doesn’t quite live up to the 5-star energy that I felt the first time around, so I’m dropping the rating down to a 4-star.

I still really enjoyed it, and I stand by my experience back in 2017, but yeah, at this point it’s lost a bit of luster for me.

It still stands out in the YA SciFi genre though and I would absolutely recommend it. I’m excited to actually continue on and finally read the sequel. I can’t believe I never got to it.

The competition elements and the intrigue of what’s going on behind-the-scenes of Warcross is what really stood out to me this time through. Overall, I’m super happy to have revisited this story!

Previously:

Yessss, Marie Lu. I absolutely loved this. In fact, Warcross was my favorite YA book of 2017 and for good reason!!!

Emika Chen is a phenomenal protagonist.

She’s smart, super strong, both physically and mentally, as well as independent AF. Everything I aspire to be.

The gaming elements and competitive feel of this book kept it rolling along nicely with plenty of action.

The final two chapters were nothing short of AMAZING!!!

I loved the low-key social commentary about our times, real life issues and philosophical ideas that could be hotly debated. I was very pleasantly surprised by this aspect.

I cannot wait for the next book to be released. I know for sure I will be preordering it!

Update 3/3/21:

While it is true that I did, in fact, preorder Wildcard, I still have not read it. I loved this first book so much and I am afraid that the second book will disappoint me.

Does anyone else do this? Just me? I am really going to try to pick it up soon. I need to complete this duology and see what happens with my girl, Emika.

I need to DO IT!!

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Review: Beth is Dead by Katie Bernet

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Beth Is DeadBeth Is Dead by Katie Bernet
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Beth Is Dead is a modern-reimagining of the beloved Coming of Age story, Little Women. Though the original novel, written by Louisa May Alcott, was loosely based on her life, including her three sisters, in this novel, the March Sisters’ Dad is the author of the tale.

His popular novel has thrust the March family into the limelight and pop culture conversation in modern-day America. The girls have had mixed reception from the public, and frankly, I found it a bit unfair of him to expose them to the world like that really without their consent.

But that’s a story for another day…

Nevertheless, Dad’s thoughtless choices aside, I thought this was a really fun and creative way to frame this story. At its heart though, this novel is more than Little Women. It’s a murder mystery. From the title, I’m sure you can tell who the poor victim is.

That’s right. Poor Beth, struck down in all her glory after a party on New Year’s Eve. Her body is discovered in the woods close to the family home the following day.

Her sisters are determined to find her killer, but suspects abound and it’s hard to tell who to trust. All of them are connected to someone who could have done it, but what if the killer lies closer to home? Like within their own house?

I found Beth is Dead to be very clever and engaging. Granted it’s been decades since I last read Little Women, so I’m sure I missed out on some of the smaller details, particularly in regards to the girls’ different personalities, but I still appreciate so much the unique style of the retelling.

I found the mystery very enjoyable and also liked that we were give a past perspective from Beth herself. I feel like that helped to really paint a picture of what the sister’s relationships and lives were as a whole prior to the murder.

I like the author’s creative spin on a modernization of these characters. Incorporating social media and the public having opinions on the girls based solely on their fictional depictions in their Dad’s book, I felt that was completely realistic. Because we all know if we read about someone online, we know them. Am I right??

The family dynamics were well done as well. I’m sure, as I mentioned, I could have found more connections to the original if I had read it more recently, but I didn’t really have time to do that prior to picking this one up.

Lastly, the ending almost got me; a tear almost fell! Bittersweet.

I would definitely recommend this to any YA Mystery/Thriller Reader, but particularly those of you who love Little Women. I think this is such a fun blend of those two things.

Thank you to the publisher, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I can’t wait to pick up more from Katie Bernet!

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Review: I’ll Find You Where the Timeline Ends by Kylie Lee Baker

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I'll Find You Where the Timeline EndsI’ll Find You Where the Timeline Ends by Kylie Lee Baker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

In I’ll Find You Where the Timeline Ends, descendants of a Japanese Dragon God are gifted with the power to travel through time. Our MC, Mina, is one of these descendants.

Though just a teen, Mina has been preparing her entire life to take her place in the Descendants, a secret organization tasked with protecting the timeline from rogue travelers.

Since this ability is based on your lineage, the rest of Mina’s family has also been involved with this organization, including her sister who went missing while on a mission.

Mina is currently placed in Seoul and has been attending a local high school where she deals with regular teenage issues. It just so happens that on the side she’s trying to find out what happened to her sister and protect the world from deviations in the timeline. No biggie.

After discovering that the organization may be corrupt, and that her sister may have been purposefully erased, Mina decides to team up with a charming rogue agent, Yejun, who she’s come to know in her time in Seoul.

He has a plan to free the Descendants from their corrupt influence, and Mina is hoping through that perhaps her sister’s existence can be restored. As the two join forces, Mina finds herself falling for Yejun.

The closer she gets to him though, the closer she is to discovering the truth. Hopefully, the truth will set her free, and not destroy her very existence instead.

Well, I guess there really isn’t anything that Kylie Lee Baker can’t do. I’ll Find You Where the Timeline Ends is fun, unique and well-executed. It’s also like nothing I’ve ever read from her before. She has to have one of the most active imaginations on Earth and I love that for her, and us!

I’ll admit I was distracted by the NFL Draft whilst reading this, otherwise I may have enjoyed it even more. I had one eye on the screen, seeing who was going where, but nevertheless, the audiobook kept me quite engaged.

This has some super fun concepts, great action and very endearing characters. Mina is by all appearances such a normal girl, but yeah, with the power of time travel at her fingertips. How amazing would that be?

I thought the romance was beautifully done as well. The build and the development of the relationship had me on tenterhooks. Yejun was certainly a compelling love interest.

It actually surprised me the level of emotion I was feeling towards the end. KLB is first class when it comes to pulling a Reader in. Her stories are all-consuming. I am transported and this one was no exception. I’m surprised this one didn’t receive a bit more buzz upon release.

I would definitely recommend this to any Romance Reader who enjoys stories that play with time. While this is a YA novel, I would recommend it for all ages. There’s nothing ‘too YA’ about it, IMO.

Thank you to the publisher, Feiwel & Friends and Dreamscape Media, for providing me with a copy to read and review. My biggest regret with this book is that it took me so long to pick it up.

Kylie Lee Baker is one of my go-to authors. She has never done me dirty. Her wildly-imaginative stories are an absolute gift to us all. That’s no exaggeration.

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Review: The Escape Game by Marissa Meyer & Tamara Moss

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The Escape GameThe Escape Game by Marissa Meyer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Escape Game is a fun and suspenseful YA-Murder Mystery centering around an Escape Room Game Show.

A concept, I say with confidence, was executed wonderfully.

Six months ago, the 4th-Season of The Escape Game ended tragically after one of the contestants, Alicia Angelos, was found murdered on set. Suspicions immediately fell on Alicia’s sister, Sierra, also a contestant, but without any proof, Sierra was never charged.

Now Sierra is back to play again in Season Five, but it’s not just a win Sierra’s looking for, she’s also looking for justice. Sierra’s new teammates include Adi, a celebrity’s son and cryptography expert; Carter, a math wiz and social media influencer; and Beck, an aspiring Game Master.

As the teammates begin to bond, they decide to help Sierra in her quest for answers. Soon enough they start uncovering clues to the true identity of Alicia’s killer.

As the games kick off, unsettling events seem to plague the team. Is it because of Sierra and her link to last season? Will they be able to put the puzzle together before one of them becomes the killer’s next victim?

The Escape Game was such a gripping and entertaining read. I ended up quite invested in it, even after a slightly rocky start. We meet the characters and get introduced to the game very quickly, and it took me a second to get my bearings with it all. Once I did though, I was hooked.

The Escape Room element was so well done. I loved how everything was described and how we got to follow along with our main characters as they worked through the various puzzles together.

The four MCs were extremely well-developed and likable. I loved watching them get to know one another and watching their various relationships blossom. They were each distinct and their personalities played well off of one another.

I’m honestly hoping this will get adapted. It would make a great Limited Series on Netflix, especially with all the intricacies of the various Escape Rooms. I would love to see them brought to screen. If it’s anything like what I was imagining in my head, it would be amazing!

Thank you to the publisher, G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, for providing me a copy to read and review. I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this, and I’m so pleased with the experience I had with it.

I would love more books with these characters. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that happens, and if it does, I’ll be first in line for a copy!

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Review: Come As You Are by Dahlia Adler

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Come As You AreCome As You Are by Dahlia Adler
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars**

Come As You Are is a YA Contemporary Romance from Dahlia Adler. I’ve read from Adler before, and this one has certainly bumped her up my Must-Read Authors list.

In this story, we are following Everett ‘Evie’ Riley, who has decided to transfer to a private high school after being betrayed by a trifecta of important people in her life: her boyfriend, her best friend and her sister.

Evie is desperate for a fresh start. She needs new scenery and new people. Her new start faces it’s first hurdle on move-in day though, when Evie finds herself mistakenly assigned to an all-boys dorm and wouldn’t you know it, there’s no room for her in the girls dorm.

Rumors and speculation regarding Evie’s unfortunate housing predicament quickly spread throughout the small campus. Unsure what else to do, Evie decides to lean into her enticing new reputation.

In order to do this though, good girl Evie is going to need some help, which she finds in the form of her grumpy, yet exceeding cool, dorm mate, Salem Grayson.

As it turns out, Salem needs a little help as well, repairing his relationship with his parents after he was kicked out of another school. Evie could be the perfect person to help him with that. It’s a win, win.

Sadly, even as Salem starts to turn his reputation around and succeed at absolutely everything he tries, Evie cannot seem to catch a break. As Evie comes to certain realizations about herself and her life, it turns out maybe she’s destined for a different path than she once expected.

I really loved this. I’m not sure how memorable the overall story will be for me long-term as far as the smaller details go, but there was so much I adored about it in the moment.

The characters were fabulous, both the main characters, and the side characters. Adler built this beautiful found family feeling into the story that I felt added a lot of warmth. With these kids being away from home at a boarding school, that element would make sense, and it was well done.

Additionally, the banter was fantastic and I experienced a full range of emotions over the course of the story. Dahlia Adler has quickly become a favorite for me.

Evie was such a great main character. She really was going through a lot, and I liked how she faced it all with an emotional maturity that was good to see. Having your boyfriend, sister and best friend betray you all at once, that could definitely cause one to spiral, but I liked how she took action to move forward from it versus dwelling.

Not only did she take action, she did it on her own. Her parents weren’t really aware of the full scope of what had happened, and Evie shouldered all the responsibility for forging her new path. I respected that.

Sure, a lot of the drama is still teen, but as it should be, it’s a YA book. Adler also always includes a diverse cast of characters, and I appreciated that representation, as well as some of the topics explored in regards to sexuality, relationships, etc.

Thank you to the publisher, Wednesday Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I wish I’d have read it sooner. I recommend this to any YA Contemporary Romance Reader. It’s a good one!!!

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Review: Hazelthorn by C.G. Drews

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HazelthornHazelthorn by C.G. Drews
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

Hazelthorn is a YA Gothic Horror story from C.G. Drews. I read from Drews for the first time last year when I read their popular novel, Don’t Let the Forest In.

I was immediately impressed by the style of their prose, the relationships developed within the story and the vivid imagery evoked. I’m happy to report, all of these top-shelf qualities are again on display within the pages of Hazelthorn.

This story follows Evander, who has lived like a ghost within the walls of Hazelthorn estate ever since he was taken in as a small child by Byron Lennox-Hall, the reclusive billionaire owner of the estate.

Evander has very specific rules that he is made to abide by, such as he can never leave the estate, he isn’t to go into the gardens, and he shouldn’t ever be left alone with Laurie, Byron’s mischievous grandson.

The last rule was actually established for good reason, when 7-years ago, Laurie tried to kill Evander, a situation which he barely survived. In spite of this though, Evander does have a bit of an unhealthy attraction to Laurie. Honestly, he’s hard to resist.

When Byron unexpectedly dies, and it’s announced the entire estate is being left to Evander, he suddenly has threats coming from all sides. As you can imagine, other family members aren’t exactly pleased with this turn of events.

Despite his sudden windfall, Evander’s not happy. He’s suspicious about the way the way Byron died. He believes he was killed, but why? And how can he prove it?

Suddenly, Laurie becomes Evander’s best ally for getting to the bottom of what really happened to Byron, and figuring out the true that lies at the heart of Hazelthorn.

This was great. It’s dark and engaging and I was intrigued by Hazelthorn and everything going on there. Actually the more I think about it, perhaps I underrated this one a bit. It’s probably closer to a full 4-star rating for me.

I just think in comparison to Don’t Let the Forest In, I didn’t find this one as easy to track, and I also didn’t feel as emotionally invested, although there was still so much to love about this story.

In some ways, this story did remind me of a few other things I’ve read before, for example, These Fleeting Shadows by Kate Alice Marshall. What did stand out was the level of botanical horror that Drews included. That I really, really enjoyed.

This did have some interesting twists and some dangerous family drama, which I also thought was a lot of fun. I actually wouldn’t mind reading this again someday, maybe getting a hard copy and annotating could help bring more of the nuances of the story to the forefront for me.

At the end of the day, this is another fantastic story from Drews, delivering on their signature writing style and lush, gothic atmosphere.

Thank you to the publisher, Recorded Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. C.G. Drews is such a talent, and I cannot wait to continue to follow their career. I know we’re going to have a long and beautiful friendship!

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Review: The Darkness Greeted Her by Christina Ferko

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The Darkness Greeted HerThe Darkness Greeted Her by Christina Ferko
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Darkness Greeted her is a YA Horror novel tackling themes such as sapphic relationships, mental health struggles, overcoming trauma, and features a dark atmosphere.

In this story, our MC is Penny, who has a traumatic past, mostly surrounding her abusive father, that she’s trying to overcome. She also struggles with Harm OCD, so she enlists in a therapy camp to try to face her issues head on, and get control of her life back.

Camp Whitewood is very small, I think there were maybe 8 girls total. I don’t remember specifically, but it was a smaller group, which gave it a more intimate feel.

Even though we follow Penny mainly, Ferko did provide different sections for the other girls, where we are shown the parts of their pasts that may have contributed to them entering Camp Whitewood. And though everyone had very different experiences, you could tell that their trauma was something that they could relate and bond over.

The interesting and horrible part of the camp is that their traumas seem to suddenly take form in the shape of a Shadow Man, a monster who brings their deepest fears to life. The visions involved in this are truly horrific for the girls, and also confusing.

As their hallucinations escalate and girls begin to turn up dead, Penny must team up with whoever is left to get to the truth behind the Shadow Man, and try to defeat him before he’s able to conquer the rest of them.

I liked this. It’s a heavy story and does involve a lot of depictions of traumatic situations happening on page; check for trigger warnings if that concerns you. I enjoyed the idea of this Shadow Man entity bringing their darkest nightmares to life for these recovering girls to try to defeat.

The action bits, particularly towards the end, were quite chaotic and I did find it slightly difficult to visualize and track. Additionally, I didn’t necessarily find any of the characters, besides Penny, that memorable. They were pretty much interchangeable to me, but I did appreciate the difficult topics the author was addressing.

I think in the YA space this would be a good introduction to this style of Horror for a lot of younger readers. For me, this really didn’t do anything new or exciting, therefore I’m not sure how memorable it will be long term.

However, I do appreciate the author’s efforts and vision. I know so many Readers are going to be able to connect to the girls’ experiences in this book, and that’s super important as well. I’m glad I checked it out.

Thank you to the publisher, Sourcebooks Fire, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’d be happy to pick up more from this author in the future.

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Review: The Scammer by Tiffany D. Jackson

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The ScammerThe Scammer by Tiffany D. Jackson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

❤️💜❤️💜❤️💜❤️💜❤️💜❤️💜❤️

The Scammer is classic Tiffany D. Jackson. A true to life, hard-hitting YA Thriller with thought-provoking Social Horror elements and a compelling protagonist.

This story gets so intense and succeeded in getting my pulse absolutely racing in multiple places. A++ to the added twist at the end, which I did not see coming!

I’m getting ahead of myself though. What is this about?

This story follows Jordyn, who against her overbearing parents wishes, has given up her shot at an ivy league school in order to enroll at a prestigious, historically-Black college, in Washington, D.C.

She has her reasons for making this choice, but her parents don’t want to hear any of it. They practically disown her. By the time Jordyn is moving into her dorm she is ready for a fresh start, far removed from her parents.

She enjoys meeting her new roommates and all seems to be going well. Jordyn keeps a lot of her past to herself, but other than that, she feels like she’s found a place to belong and is making good friends.

But when one of her new roommate’s brother, Devonte, moves into their dorm suite after he’s released from prison, things start to vastly change.

It was supposed to be a temporary arrangement, to help him get back on his feet, but as time passes, Devonte shows zero signs of leaving. In fact, he’s inserted himself into the girls’ lives in disturbing and inappropriate ways. Jordyn seems to be the only one growing increasingly uneasy in Devonte’s presence, and soon she finds herself on the outside.

When one of her roommates suddenly disappears under frightening circumstances, Jordyn suspects Devonte had something to do with it, but how can she prove it?

She teams up with the university’s lone white student to try to get to the truth regarding her roommate’s disappearance. Unfortunately, they’re ready for her and Jordyn finds herself enmeshed in a nightmare she may never escape.

Watching Devonte come into this shared living space and do the things he did, it infuriated me at times. And by at times, I mean the majority of the time.

The way Jackson wrote this, it was like I was a fly on the wall watching it all go down, and as the danger escalated, I was powerless. I couldn’t do anything to help these girls. I imagine that may have been what Jordyn was feeling in a lot of these moments too.

I believe this is based on the case at Sarah Lawrence that began around 2010, but I don’t know too many specific details on that. This did make me want to research it further though, as I’m shocked something like this could happen on a University campus and it wouldn’t be stopped.

Jackson also did a great job developing Jordyn as a character. There were moments I wasn’t sure I liked her, some of her thought patterns bothered me, but as I learned all she had been through with her family and just her entire past, it started to make sense. I grew to really love her.

Also, I feel like she had such a great character arc, from her first day on campus until the shocking conclusion.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys an intense and twisted YA, or New Adult, Thriller. Bonus points if you enjoy social commentary, or have enjoyed any of Jackson’s work in the past. This has her signature style all over it and I love it.

Thank you to the publisher, Quill Tree Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. Tiffany D. Jackson is one of my favorite authors. I always look forward to her new releases and they NEVER disappoint.

I can’t wait to see what she graces us with next!

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Review: We Won’t All Survive by Kate Alice Marshall

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We Won't All SurviveWe Won’t All Survive by Kate Alice Marshall
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

Kate Alice Marshall does a lot of things. She writes across all age ranges, and her themes and vibes are always new and exciting. I anxiously anticipate all of her releases, as I never know what exactly I’ll be getting into next.

We Won’t All Survive is a YA Thriller that features a strong survival element, a mystery and a reality game.

This story follows Mercy Gray, who gained notoriety 2-years ago after being hailed a hero during a mall shooting. The incident left her with serious medical debt however, and her fair share of guilt for some of her choices that day.

When Mercy gets offered the chance to compete on a survivalist reality show with a huge cash prize, she sees it as a chance to get out of debt and maybe even put her younger sister through college.

The show is being hosted by billionaire-turned-TV-host Damien Dare, and nothing is really known about it. It’s been kept very hush-hush.

When Mercy and the other contestants arrive at the off-grid location for the start of the competition, they immediately sense something is off. They’ve arrived on schedule, but it appears the crew hasn’t.

They find the set empty. It’s a literal ghost town. Suddenly, just as they’re trying to decide what to do, the gates close without warning, trapping them inside. Is this just part of the show, or is something more sinister at work?

When one of the contestants ends up dead, it’s clear the survival element of this show is no joke. They’re literally in a fight for their lives. Will anyone make it out alive?

We Won’t All Survive is a quick, entertaining read. It’s very Close Your Eyes and Count to 10, but for teens, so if you enjoyed that one, this is definitely worth checking out.

I do tend to love any novel incorporating a reality show element, and I appreciated that about this as well, though I’m not sure how memorable it’ll be long-term.

I thought the set-up was fun and liked learning about the situation these characters found themselves in. It did have some fairly intense scenes and I liked trying to figure out what was actually going on, and who was to blame.

There was some interpersonal stuff I wasn’t crazy about, but overall it did manage to keep me invested and focused. Just a bit of the drama amongst the characters seemed a little silly in light of the circumstances they found themselves in.

Like how about we focus on all staying alive and then we can deal with all this other BS if we actually get out of here?

With this being said, I did like Mercy as an MC. She had an interesting backstory, which was fed to us piece meal over the course of the story, and I enjoyed learning her whole story. It definitely gave clarity to many of her choices.

Overall, even though this isn’t my favorite book from this author, I still had a fun time reading it and would recommend it. This would be a great book to take on vacation, or just binge read on the weekend due to it’s compelling action and fast pace.

Thank you to the publisher, Viking Books for Young Readers, for providing me with a copy to read and review. Kate Alice Marshall is so talented and I’ll continue to pick up everything and anything she writes!!

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